US CDC announces reversal of controversial change in COVID-19 testing advice

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the reversal of the controversial change in its COVID-19 testing guidelines which didn’t mandate testing for asymptomatic persons. The latest revision in the guidelines reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons due to the high-risk of transmission.

“Due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, this guidance further reinforces the need to test asymptomatic persons, including close contacts of a person with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection,” read the latest guidelines on “overview of testing”.

The controversial CDC guidelines were published on August 24 which said that people who had been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient “do not necessarily need a test” if they do not display symptoms. The announcement was reportedly made after pressure from higher echelons of the Trump administration and after the deliberations which took place in the absence of White House coronavirus task force member Dr Anthony Fauci. However, a majority of states refused the order and continued to test asymptomatic people.

Read: US CDC's Controversial Guidelines Published Against Scientists' Objections: Report

Read: CDC Chief Says Face Masks May Provide Better Protection Against COVID-19 Than Vaccine

Health experts welcome the reversal

Health experts have welcomed the “return to a science-based based approach” after the latest revisions in the COVID-19 testing guidelines. Thomas File, president of Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement that the revisions in testing guidance are good news for public health and for the united fight against this pandemic.

“We urge officials to support the work of controlling this pandemic by following medical guidance of experts in the field,” said File.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the coronavirus cases in the United States are highest in the world because of greater testing, in an attempt to wash his hands of the failed COVID-19 response. The United States has reported over 6.7 million coronavirus cases and more than 198,000 related deaths so far, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. With presidential elections approaching, critics suggested that the controversial change was an attempt to record lesser coronavirus cases with curbing the scope of testing.

Read: Trump Contradicts CDC Chief On Vaccine Roll-out Date, Says 'He Was Confused'

Read: 33 US States Reject CDC's New Guidelines, Continue Testing Asymptomatic People